The head coach of River Plate, Marcelo Gallardo, has given a thumbs down to two key players and decided not to call them up for the crucial match against Vélez Sarsfield this Sunday, for the 16th round of the Clausura Tournament. According to the Argentine News Agency, it is about the Paraguayan defender Paulo Díaz and the Colombian forward Miguel Ángel Borja, whose futures at the Núñez club have now become a complete mystery. The news is even more curious considering that River will already have several absences due to international call-ups, injuries, and suspensions. The "Millionaire" faces a key away game at Vélez. Due to their poor run (they have lost eight of their last 11 matches), their chances of qualifying for the next Copa Libertadores, a tournament they have participated in uninterruptedly since 2015, have become seriously complicated. River is fourth in the annual table and is obliged to beat "Fortín" to keep their chances of entering the continental tournament via the annual standings, but for that to happen, they must also wait for Argentinos Juniors to lose to Estudiantes de La Plata.
